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# Re: The History Of Frobs, Part Zero (was Re: Use for $call_verb)

- Date: Wed, 7 Aug 1996 14:29:19 PDT
- From:
- Cc: Richard Godard <janus@cam.org>, moo-cows@parc.xerox.com
- Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
- In-Reply-To: <199608070142.VAA13234@blackburn.ccs.neu.edu>

    OK, I think I get the idea of what you are calling
    "Inexpensive" when you talk about your heart Frobs, and so on....

    So here's an alternate viewpoint taken from my as yet unseen Mod1 of
    NewCore, (Unseen because it is Unimplimented)

    Essentially, I wanted inexpensive verbs and properties.

    Because MOO uses Objects to store Verbs and Properties, my concept was
    to place inexpensive verbs and properties, in "Gathering Objects" I called
    "Database" objects, "library" objects, and "Characteristic" Objects.

    When designing Data and Methods that were to work together as a single
    lightweight object, I decided to attempt to code using Objecules, or
    Sorted Objects with label verbs and properties that allowed the separation
    of different functions within a holding object.

    The next trick was to blur the distinction between different Objecules
    and thier verbs, by making it possible to alias the verbs, as well as the
    objects, and therefore to allow overloading of a verb, or calling of an
    object as if it were an object:verb call, and getting the right verb.

    (The idea of all this, is to simplify the language interface by making
    the computer do more work)

    By basing all "Gathering Objects" on a basic "Database" prototype, I
    hoped to be able to achieve user defined definitions, in-db.

    The concept was that the base class, would be a DATABASE, with
    user defineable fields, and types, which would be then interpreted
    by a special interpretive method, into output lists in the proper
    order.

    Since Verbs and Objects would then be considered a special case of
    Property, (containing a link rather than the actual object/verb etc)
    there would be no problem building special function Objects from a
    sort of generally accessible library of Verbs and Properties, or of
    changing whole lists of properties, with the change of a single environment
    parameter.

    The idea being that instead of Customizing the Users Object, and adding
    "Feature Objects" to it, you could customize a list of features and
    Characteristics from central databases, or create your own unique lightweight
    lists of characteristics and add them to the central database for others
    to enjoy, or keep within your own area, so that others couldn't "borrow"
    it without permission.

    Another place I thought this would be useful, is in the development of
    "Cheap" Maps, where a common theme, and set of characteristics could be
    carried among a list of "Locations", or where movement within the same
    room, could be connected with different views of the objects, allowing
    the user to turn, and "Walk Around" and object, without inflating the
    Object Value too quickly.

    One place I thought of using this type of stuff, was in my "MALL" and
    "Park" concepts where I had been forced to define Multiple objects just
    to allow different features to be available from different "Locations"
    and through different "Paths".

    It made no sense to me, to have to define a relatively small "Park" with
    minor themes that you could traverse in any direction, as a list of
    almost as many objects as there were features I wanted you to "happen"
    upon.

    I found it difficult to deal with Hallways that limited me to 4 or so doors
    and Streets that had to be defined, one building at a time.

    It made much more sense, to allow the exits to be defined off of a generic
    but extended street object, that you entered, at some point, and exited at
    some point,  but not always the same point. In between, you would still
    be on the same street, but would "Travel" along it, seeing the sights.

    The neat thing about this approach, I thought, was the ability to build
    mappings of mappings, into each other, so that they inherited a heirarchy
    of location. Thus the Main "Location" Object, could have within it a
    mapping of "Planets", a mapping of continents on each planet, a mapping of
    countries on each continent, and so on, gradually reducing to street
    addresses, and individual buildings/rooms, or locations within the same room
    and through a form of inverse inheritance probably based on database search
    routines, that used object queries, a person could be located to within
    a specific room, so that you could "Drop In" on him unannounced....

    (At least at the WIZARD level)

    Of course, I had planned to do this at the "In-Db" level, but if someone
    wants to impliment a similar system at the Server Level, they are certainly
    welcome to.

    				GREY

    GRAEME SMITH                         email: grysmith@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca
    YMCA Edmonton
    (Back on line!>

References:

- The History Of Frobs, Part Zero (was Re: Use for $call_verb)

- From: Jay Carlson <nop@nop.com>

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